The Very Thought of You
Chapter 19
Joey was dusting the dresser in the kitchen as Charlie washed up the breakfast dishes the morning after the School benefit concert. The girls had not said much to each other since Ruby had left to meet her friend Annie. Both feeling a little shy, though neither being able to understand why. Joey had been a little relieved to see 'her' Charlie last night instead of the more aloof one she'd witnessed for a few days previously. She still hoped she'd not upset Charlie in any way, but also wondered if Charlie had other worries; maybe work or even Ruby.
Charlie scrubbed at the porridge saucepan, trying to remove residue which had set like cement! She cursed as the pan fell out of her hand into the washing up water, splashing her blouse.
"Blast!"
Joey glanced in Charlie's direction, but remained silent. A week ago she would have relished making a funny remark at Charlie's expense, but now felt a little awkward. She bit her bottom lip knowing she would have to make an effort soon or their friendship would suffer. At that moment, Janet rushed into the kitchen.
"Girls, I need a favour. Squadron Leader Paul Roman, no less, is home on leave and I've invited him to lunch and I wondered...?"
"You'd like us to clear out?" Charlie smiled.
"Oh, do you mind? It's just, it's been so long since he's had leave and it will be wonderful to have some time together!" Janet gushed.
"That's fine. I'm sure we'll all find something to do."
Joey took her opportunity.
"Charlie, we never got to go on that picnic the other day. Perhaps we could meet up at lunchtime?"
Charlie felt her heart thump. Though she relished the idea of having some fun with Joey, she didn't want to encourage the feelings which came with their relationship.
"Yes, okay." Charlie said uncertainly. "But I have a date with some friends at two o'clock, so will have to done by then." She fibbed.
"That's fine." Joey said, grateful to be seeing her friend, if only for a couple of hours.
The girls arranged to meet outside the village hall at noon. Joey had prepared their lunch and Charlie promised to bring a bottle of lemonade, which she purchased at the Stores. They both arrived at the same time and smiled.
"All set?" Joey grinned.
"Where are we going?" Charlie asked, eyeing the blanket and towel which Joey had bought along too.
"Surprise!" Joey said, smiling at her friend.
Charlie looked a little anxious as she followed Joey along the high street and down towards the harbour. They followed a little pathway off to the left, ducked under some low hung trees and side-stepped the stinging nettles.
"Where on earth are we going?" Charlie asked, frowning.
"You'll see in a few seconds." Joey replied with a grin.
The pathway opened up revealing the small harbour. Several fishing boats were moored and a little further away, a small sailing boat, not much larger than a rowing boat with a sail, bobbed about in the water.
"Transport!" Joey announced, proudly.
"Where did you get it?" Charlie asked laughing nervously.
"It was my Dad's. It's been kept for years in his old boat shed. I popped up there this morning and got it out!"
"How did you manage to bring it all the way down here?" Charlie asked, suspiciously.
"Well, Constable, I met with Andrew Aden just after he'd finished work and asked him to help me down with it. Dad used to have a set of wheels, but the tyres were acquisitioned for the war effort." Joey explained. "Come on! Let make hay! We don't have too much time."
Joey climbed down the wooden ladder affixed to the harbour wall and expertly jumped into the little boat. Charlie handed her the bags and made a bad attempt to get in herself. Joey took her hand to help steady her but Charlie quickly withdrew her own. Joey felt her heart sink. 'It must be something I've done.' she thought to herself, sadly.
When they were both settled, Joey cast off and began to navigate her way out of the harbour. The sea was calm so there were no waves as such to negotiate. Charlie was surprised how well Joey handled the little boat in the sea and began to relax a little.
"You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble." Charlie said. "Don't forget I'm meeting friends at two."
"That's alright. I hadn't forgotten. I haven't been at sea for such a long while now and I thought it would be good fun." Joey replied pulling a rope.
The girls sailed for thirty minutes, leaving the harbour behind and heading towards Tankerton. There they spied an old house, almost on the beach, with a disused jetty. Joey came along side and moored.
"There!" She said, with a smile. "We can picnic over there on the grass and have you back before two. Be careful you don't get yourself caught on that barb wire." Joey warned as they began to walk along the jetty to the shore.
"Joey, should we be here? We might get into frightful trouble if we're caught!" Charlie said, nervously.
"It's fine. Long as you don't go onto the beach and find a mine!" Joey said, grinning at the anxious Charlie.
They carried their lunch up to the quiet, grassy bank near the house and laid it on the blanket which Joey had brought along. The warm sun was shining on the water as the girls ate their food. Joey had prepared sandwiches of homemade plum jam; others with cheese, using her entire weekly ration. Charlie was touched by the effort Joey had gone to and smiled at her friend. They chatted about this and that and watched with interest as a Herring gull surface dived into the sea to capture its lunch. They rested in the sun, drinking in its warm rays.
"I was thinking about asking Mr. Stewart at the Neptune if I can do the odd shift to put together a little money." Joey mused. "I know I let him down before, but do you think he'd give me another chance?" She asked, picking up a pebble and studying it.
"I'm sure he would. But Joey, I'll worry if you work in the evenings and have to walk home alone. What if..." Charlie said anxiously, stopping in mid sentence, not wanting to mention Robert Cruze's name.
"Oh, I'll be okay. I can't hide forever. Besides, I'll be getting my call up papers soon from the Ministry. I'll have to try and be brave then." Joey said quietly.
Charlie shot her a quick look. Of course, Joey was not working on the fishing boat anymore and would now be considered a 'Mobile Women' and was expected to 'do her bit'.
"What do you think you'll do?" Charlie asked, hoping that Joey would choose somewhere close to home; a munitions factory or the land.
"Haven't thought too much about it, but I don't want to end up in a factory all day long, 'making the thing that turns the knob that works the thingimy-bob that's going to help us win the war!'" Joey quoted.
Charlie laughed. "Okay, Gracie!"
Joey grinned and looked at her watch.
"Charlie, it's half past one! You need to get weaving if you're going to meet your friends by two. I'll clear up here. If you walk up that little path, it will take you straight back on the road to town." Joey said pointing out the path.
"Oh, is that the time?" Charlie said taking Joey's wrist in her hand and checking the time by Joey's watch, even though her own watch worked perfectly well. "But I'm having such a lovely afternoon here with you. Perhaps, I'll stay." She said, quietly.
"You can hardly let your friends down at such short notice, Charlie!" Joey said, busying herself packing away the lunch things.
"I'm sure they won't miss me! There are going to be several other people there," Charlie improvised, "and so I'm sure they won't notice if I'm there or not!"
"I can't believe that! Well, if you're sure and you won't upset them, it's a pleasure to have you aboard!" Joey said smiling.
The girls settled down in hopes of a peaceful afternoon.
"This is lovely! I hate to think the summer will soon be over and everything will get grey again." Charlie said stretching out her long legs on the blanket.
"Next summer will come around soon enough." Joey said with a touch of sadness in her voice making Charlie look up at her.
"It would've been my Mum's birthday today." Joey said, staring out to sea. Charlie understood how Joey felt. After her Mother had died, the first birthday anniversary had been hell.
"What was your mum like?" Charlie asked.
Joey was silent for a moment.
"She was lovely! She was the best mum in the world. She was quiet and soft and had the most wonderful sense of fun you can imagine! I can remember when we were children how she would take Brian and I swimming in the sea. She would try to teach us to swim but it would always end in a splashing contest between Brian and me, which, of course, Brian would always win! She used to take me to see Deanna Durbin films too! We use to come home from the cinema singing loudly all the songs we could remember in the film and..." Joey stopped talking and bit her lip to try and stop the tears which had filled her eyes.
Charlie moved over to Joey's side of the blanket and hugged her friend whose tears streamed down her face for the loss of her beloved mother.
Charlie held Joey tight until her tears subsided.
"I'm sorry Charlie." Joey choked. "That's the first time I've cried since Mum's been gone. I miss her so much, especially now."
Since Joey had temporarily moved into Charlie's lodgings, Charlie had seen such a change in the sad young woman; the one she had tried so hard to convince to make a statement against her attacker, Robert Cruze. There she had blossomed into the most delightful, entertaining person Charlie had ever known. It took a moment like this to remind her that this lovely young woman was still vulnerable and broken inside.
"What was your Dad like?" Charlie asked, hoping she would not upset her friend again with yet another question.
"Dad was very strong. A big man, but quite gentle in his way. Mind you, he'd take no old lip! If you got out of hand, he'd cuff you as soon as look at you!" Joey said, smiling. "He was mostly for Brian, but I suppose that was normal, Brian being the boy. But he would often take me out in the boat – he taught me to row and sail!" She said, proudly. "He never really understood me, though. I suppose he didn't understand why I wasn't more girlish, going out on dates with boys and dressing up and using vast amounts of lipstick!" She laughed.
She remained silent for a few moments. "Mum knew."
Charlie wondered what Joey's Mum had known, but guessed that she must have known about Joey's preference for girls.
"She didn't mind about it?" Charlie asked quietly.
"She never said. She just seemed to accept it and even when I tried to speak to her about it one day, she just said, "It's alright, my darling. I love you for being you."
Charlie watched Joey telling her story. She wanted to pull her into her arms and tell her that she also 'loved her for being her' but quickly dismissed the thought.
"So," Joey said, turning to face Charlie, "did you get on well with your mum?"
It was Charlie's turn to look out to sea. She seldom spoke to anyone about either of her parents, accept perhaps, Ruby, but before she could check herself, she had begun.
"Mum was possibly the most beautiful person I have ever known. She had long brown hair with the most wonderful starry eyes you could imagine! I use to call her 'my angel'." Charlie smiled. "I can remember one night when I was very young, ages before Ruby was born, waking in the middle of the night after a bad dream and seeing her standing at the foot of my bed, with the moon shining its light on her. She was looking out of my bedroom window at the stars. The moon made a hallo of light around her head. It looked ...mystical! She looked so beautiful standing there that I felt better straight away and drifted back into sleep. That was my mum." Charlie related and she looked down at the picnic blanket and fiddled with a pulled thread.
Joey took Charlie's hand in her own. With tears in her eyes, she lifted Charlie's hand to her lips and gently planted a kiss on her fingers.
"Charlie, you are so wonderful. You are 'the angel' to me that your mother was to you. You have been so good to me since ..." Joey took a moment, "since that bad time; looking after me and keeping me safe. I really don't know what I would have done without you." She placed her hand on top of Charlie's. "Thank you. If I had been one of your friends, waiting for you to join them today, I would have missed you." Joey said looking into Charlie's eyes.
Charlie blushed and smiled not losing eye contact with her friend. She had never felt so happy.
Music from a gramophone in the house started to play some lively dance band music and Joey was up on her feet in a moment.
"Oh I love 'Glenn Miller'!" She cried, "Come on! Dance with me, Charlie!"
Charlie laughed but didn't budge.
"Come on. They're playing 'In The Mood'!" Joey said, taking Charlie's hand and dragging her onto her feet. "Can you Jitterbug?"
"No, I can't!" Charlie said laughing and blushing.
"I'll show you!"
Joey pushed and pulled Charlie around until she started to memorize the steps. They stumbled about and laughed as they danced, getting giddy with the turning and weaving. All too soon the record ended and the girls stood crying with laughter at their attempt to Jitterbug. 'Glenn Miller' was replaced by another dance band, 'Ray Noble and his Orchestra' playing the haunting and much slower 'The Very Thought of You'. The two girls breathing became slower but their hearts raced as their eyes met.